Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

Ryan Routh Found Guilty For Attempting To Assassinate President Trump

[Wikimedia Commons/Public/Craig Talbert, CC0 BY 2.0]

A Florida jury found Ryan Routh guilty on Tuesday of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.

Routh was convicted on five counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several gun charges.

A Secret Service agent discovered Routh hiding in the bushes at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club with a rifle last year on Sept. 15 — just two months after a gunman’s bullet grazed Trump’s ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Routh fled the scene after the agent fired shots in his direction, but was arrested later that day.

As the verdict was read, Routh attempted to stab himself with a pen, according to reports from the courtroom.

“Dad I love you don’t do anything,” his daughter, Sara Routh, screamed, according to the Associated Press. “I’ll get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody.”

Over the 12-day trial, prosecutors called over 38 witnesses to the stand, including FBI agents, local law enforcement and Secret Service agents who responded to the scene. The trial began in Florida two days before Charlie Kirk’s assassination while speaking at a college campus in Utah.

Though he is not an attorney, Routh opted to represent himself, cross-examining witnesses and presenting his own opening and closing statements.

Judge Aileen Cannon cut Routh off just minutes into his opening statement as he diverged into talking about Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning him against making a “mockery” of the courtroom.

BREAKING: Judge Aileen Cannon cut off Ryan Routh minutes into his opening statement as he diverged into criticizing Vladimir Putin and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and how we are “doing nothing” in response to their actions. pic.twitter.com/VTnwBomvXr

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 11, 2025

Federal prosecutors argued Routh had a “carefully crafted and deadly serious plot” to ensure the public could not re-elect Trump, which involved tracking Trump’s movements and at least 17 prior visits to his golf course.

Jurors heard a portion of a handwritten letter Routh left with his former employees in North Carolina, where he offered $150,000 to anyone who could “complete” the job.

“Dear World, this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you,” the letter stated. “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster.”

In filings before the trial, Routh challenged Trump to a “a beatdown session” or a golf game.

“A round of golf with the racist pig, he wins he can execute me, I win I get his job,” he wrote.

Routh’s defense strategy centered on proving his peacefulness, non-violence and gentleness, suggesting he would not have been able to assassinate Trump. He called one firearms expert to the stand, as well as two character witnesses.

Cannon’s jury instructions included a reminder that Routh’s statements when acting as his own attorney “are not evidence.”

“The opportunity was there for the defendant to shoot the president, and yet the trigger was never pulled,” Routh told the jury during his nearly hour-long closing statement that referenced Ukraine, Jan. 6 and the Revolutionary War, according to the New York Times. “This human being does not have the capability to harm another human being.”

Trump congratulated the Department of Justice (DOJ) for securing the conviction, saying the trial was “meticulously handled.”

“This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him,” he wrote on Truth Social. “I would also like to thank the Secret Service, Department of Florida Law Enforcement, and the wonderful person who spotted him running from the site of the crime, and acted by following him, and getting all information on car type and license plate to the Sheriff’s Office, IMMEDIATELY, which led to his arrest and conviction. What incredible instinct and foresight this person had — A very big moment for JUSTICE IN AMERICA!”

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the verdict “illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.”

“This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself,” Bondi said in a statement. “I am grateful to U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones, his entire trial team, and our law enforcement partners for protecting President Trump and securing this important verdict.”

Routh faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18.